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Synopsis

Tracing family histories is a popular pursuit and everyone loves the idea of discovering where they really come from. But when Bobbie Neate began to investigate her own family's past, she made some shocking discoveries which would cause shockwaves within her own family as well as on a much wider, national scale. The result of Bobbie's quest is an enthralling journey not only into her own past but also into the history of this country and its leaders. It was after the death of her beloved mother that Bobbie started to question strange events from her childhood. From hazy recollections grew firm lines of enquiry and eventually she was able to match her memories with actual historical data. Her discoveries were mind-blowing. Her stepfather - and indeed the man she had referred to as 'father' for most of her life - had kept a huge secret and had lied about who he really was. In this intriguing biographical detective story, the author reveals that Louis T Stanley, well known in Formula One racing circles, had hidden his true backgroud from his wife and from the public.
He was not the man he pretended to be, but was the illegitimate son of an elderly serving Prime Minister, HH Asquith and the young Venetia Stanley, an aristocrat's daughter. One hundred years after these events took place, the truth behind one of the biggest cover-ups in British political history can be revealed. As well as serving as an important historical document which will challenge commonly-held opinions of modern British history. Conspiracy of Secrets is, equally, a revealing personal memoir which uncovers what kind of a man Louis T Stanley really was. His stifling influence over the author and her family is explored, as are the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to cover up his past and his true identity. This wonderfully researched book is a gripping story of forbidden love, betrayal and identity.

About the author

Bobbie Neate became a primary school teacher in some of London's poorest districts after graduating from London University. She went on to gain an M.Phil. in the teaching of reading before working with both adults and children, in Britain, Uzbekistan, South Africa, The Gambia, The US and Sydney where she taught at the Catholic University. A past president of the UK Reading Association (now UK Literary Association) she has published extensively in the educational field on the subject of effective reading and writing strategies. She was the non-fiction editor for the Longman Book Project which at the time was the largest reading project for schools. Conspiracy of Secrets has been a new departure. One Bobbie had decided to get to the bottom of the mystery and exorcise the horror created by her stepfather Louis T Stanley, her research into the complexities of his life meant that everything else was put on the back burner. She is currently working on a new book. Read more at http://bobbieneate.blogspot.co.uk